Must Have Baby Toys for the First 6 Months!

It is an inevitable occurrence when becoming a parent, and you are powerless to stop it, but toys WILL slowly begin to take over your home, be crammed into every nook and cranny, and there is just nothing you can do about it! Despite our best efforts to not always buy new things for our son, and I swore I would be diligent to not spoil him, somehow you just do! You will end up buying or getting new toys for free all the time, and there’s just no stopping it! 

I was actually very good in the beginning and then that slowly went out the window. To be fair though, I personally did not buy the majority of the toys we own, they were gifted to us mostly from lovingly excited grandparents. It can be hard to part with toys also if you plan to have more children, so you are sorta stuck with keeping and hanging onto things for quite some time before you can free up the space. Luckily, newborn babies really don’t need toys; they will be so happy with anything from the kitchen they can put in their mouths and chew on, or anything colorful. With that being said, at the end of the day here’s the list of which toys were the really exceptional ones our son loved when he was born and continued to love even up to his first birthday.

1. Indestructibles books- These are amazing and babies can go wild with chewing and pulling on them. They don’t rip or tear, and are waterproof so they can be cleaned easily or even enjoyed during bath time. There are so many to choose from as well and different illustrators. https://b.link/7axwul

1. Bright Starts links- These are a must! You can clip them onto anything and they’re great for dangling toys from above the baby during tummy time or when they’re just hanging out on a play mat. My son loved to chew on these too! They have different textures which can be a big teething benefit and feel good on the gums. https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Starts-Lots-of-Links/dp/B001ABZGU2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bright+starts+links&qid=1602474760&sr=8-1
2. Baby Einstein Caterpillar Radio- This has by far been my son’s favorite toy since birth and continues to be a top pick even after a year! He loves it so much we even took it across the country with us on a trip so he would be happy on the plane. It has a few different classical songs,it’s cute and lights up with the beat, and babies can chew on it. It also has different volume settings. https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Along-Tunes-Musical/dp/B000YDDF6O/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=baby+oball&qid=1602472504&sr=8-17
3. Baby Einstein light up star- This has been a close favorite to the Baby Einstein Caterpillar Radio. This was amazing to use for tummy time and to keep a baby’s focus and gaze on something while working out those muscles. You can set it to play constantly or just with motion, and a bonus feature is there are different volumes. https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Star-Bright-Symphony/dp/B00TFAOIY0/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=baby+einstein+light+up+star&qid=1602473508&sr=8-1
4. Water Teethers- These are great, they can go in the refrigerator to be cool on babies’ gums and the texture is nice and soft for them to chew on. https://www.amazon.com/Infantino-216-526-3-Pack-Water-Teethers/dp/B07CZTLXG2/ref=sr_1_46?crid=3K09CZZZUMGSM&dchild=1&keywords=gel+teethers+for+babies+bpa+free&qid=1602473619&sprefix=gel+teether+b%2Caps%2C280&sr=8-46
5. Oball- These come in many varieties, but the original is so great for new babies because it’s so lightweight and is easy for babies to grasp anywhere because of the holes. Some come with rattle balls inside as well which can be fun. I also liked that I could use a link to hang it above my son’s head for batting play. https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Starts-Oball-Rattle-Newborn/dp/B0772V586C/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=baby+oball&qid=1602196756&sr=8-2
6. Atom rattle ball- My son loved this thing! It’s cute and small and has multiple places for the baby to grab onto and he loved chewing on the atom balls that stuck out of it. https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-Teether-Grasping-Activity/dp/B06WWR2RQ7/ref=sr_1_28?dchild=1&keywords=baby+oball&qid=1602472504&sr=8-28
7. Sassy wheel suction toy- We didn’t actually get this until my son’s first birthday but out of all his toys he received on his birthday, this was the only thing he was even interested in. He loves to watch and listen to the tiny little balls sealed inside that sound like rain when it spins. The wheel itself also turns in place, it’s amazing! I used to put it on his high chair tray, but now I stick it to our sliding glass door. https://www.amazon.com/Sassy-Wonder-Wheel-Activity-Center/dp/B004AHMCKA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IJIP0Z3IT19S&dchild=1&keywords=sassy+spinning+wheel&qid=1602473864&sprefix=sassy+spin%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-1
8. The First Years stacking cups– So simple, yet so fun to play with for hours on end! We still play with this after a year and there are always new ways to be creative and learn as a baby develops new skills. A definite must in my opinion! https://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Stack-Up-Cups/dp/B00005C5H4/ref=sr_1_37?dchild=1&keywords=baby+oball&qid=1602472504&sr=8-37
9. High contrast cards- A definite must for newborn babies! There are tons of options out there, but give something with dramatic contrasts in color, such as simple black and white shapes for your baby to look at and help develop their eyesight. You can use these during tummy time to give your baby something to focus on. You’ll be strengthening their body and eyesight while having fun! It’s also great for building language skills early on as you talk about the shapes, pictures, colors, etc. https://www.amazon.com/Infants-Pictures-Designed-Contrast-Newborn/dp/B07Z1TQMHC/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=baby+high+contrast&qid=1602193038&sr=8-9
10. Balance bar- This may be more suited to infants older than 6 months, but some babies start pulling themselves up in order to stand very early. We had an old stair railing and decided to attach it to two diaper boxes and our son absolutely loved it! He used it all day, every day and it really helped with him learning to support his own weight and start to walk. You can get professionally made ones that are meant to attach to the wall which are great because all the work is done for you, and some even come with a mirror for them to watch themselves in. https://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Wooden-Pull-Bar-Infants/dp/B087N6FVBH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=baby+wall+mirror+balance+bar&qid=1602193616&sr=8-2
11. Mirror- This was truly one of the greatest and easiest pieces of entertainment for our son! There are so many wonderful ways to use a mirror with a baby. We used one sitting on the floor during tummy time, we would play peek a boo in the reflection, or just play by looking at ourselves in the mirror. Babies are fascinated by other babies and when they see themselves they think they are seeing another baby. https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Acrylic-Classroom-Camping-Playroom/dp/B07ZX8PTNB/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=baby+wall+mirror+shatterproof&qid=1602193590&sr=8-3

There are SO many amazing toys and products out there, and honestly you can really just entertain your baby with basic things around the house, especially from the kitchen, that can be a goldmine. Hopefully you found or have already heard about some of these items being useful, or at least got some good ideas to try out with your little one. Let me know in the comments what toys your baby loved during their first year!